1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a recording medium support device including a feed tray capable of receiving stacked recording media and a recording medium support that is pivotably connected to the feed tray and is switchable between a closing position and an opening position by pivoting, and a recording apparatus including the recording medium support device. In this specification, the “recording apparatus” conceptually includes a printer, such as a serial printer or a line printer, a facsimile, or a copy machine.
2. Related Art
The structure of a related-art recording medium support device will now be described below using an ink jet printer as an example of the recording apparatus. As disclosed in JP-A-2004-75389 and JP-A-2003-267560, many ink jet printers have a feed tray capable of receiving many stacked sheets of paper, serving as recording media, and a paper support which is connected to the feed tray and serves as a recording medium support. The paper supports are of two types, i.e., the sliding type and the pivoting type. JP-A-2004-75389 and JP-A-2003-267560 each disclose a sliding type paper support.
JP-A-2004-75389 discloses a paper support device in which a pivoting portion has a snap-fit structure. The snap-fit structure has advantages in that the paper support can be reliably held in a used position or an unused position. Disadvantageously, this structure is complicated. Unfortunately, if an external force is applied to the paper support, the paper support may be broken.
JP-A-2003-267560 discloses a structure in which the paper support can be easily switched between a used position and an unused position with a simple operation using the engagement between a recess and a projection and the fit between each groove and the corresponding protruding guide. In these days, the postures of general paper supports when used are tending to be held substantially vertically in order to reduce the size of a printer body. Assuming that the used position of the paper support disclosed in the JP-A-2003-267560 is set such that the posture thereof is held substantially vertically without changing the structure, even when a small external force is applied to the paper support, the paper support is likely to fall forward easily.
Furthermore, in the paper support device disclosed in JP-A-2003-267560, when an operator sets the paper support to the used position by pivoting the paper support, it is difficult for the operator to sense that the paper support reaches the used position. Accordingly, the operator may feel uneasy when operating the paper support. Furthermore, like the paper support device disclosed in JP-A-2004-75389, the paper support disclosed in JP-A-2003-267560 may be broken when receiving an external force.